A live media presentation is an event at which a speaker—the presenter—uses speech and a display to inform, persuade, or build good will to attendant audience members located within view of the display. Live media presentations co-locate the presenter, display, and audience members, commonly in meeting rooms, conference halls, and classrooms.
Typically in presentations a presenter uses support services (e.g., presentation aids, tools for audience interaction) to enhance presentations. A simple example of a presentation aid is a pointer to direct audience attention to a particular location within the presentation. Such pointers traditionally have been dedicated peripheral devices to interact with the display, e.g., a telescoping pointer rod, an electronic mouse, and a laser pointer. Audience feedback is typically sought by the presenter using verbal interaction, but may also be unsolicited and include comments and general information. In addition, electronic systems provide a way for audience members to provide feedback via personal devices by communicating, e.g., over a network, back to the presenter, who is connected to the network via a device. The presenter may also send feedback requests to the personal devices of the audience over the network.
Presenting a multimedia presentation to an audience nevertheless presents real-time logistical challenges to the presenter. For example, interacting with an audience and entertaining feedback, e.g., questions and comments, inevitably affects presentation pacing and timing and, in the absence of effective moderation, can also be distracting to the presenter. Moreover, deviation from a rehearsed presentation may imperil the timing, flow, and integrity of the actual presentation—a disincentive to interact with an audience, thereby potentially stifling communication.